Promising Support
by Usami
Summary: /pending 'Flight of the Pollinators'/ "I've always got your back, Bro."


So I got the idea for this story while watching 'Flight of the Pollinators'. Martin's Big Brother instinct and concern for Chris was just so heartwarming, and I loved how sweet the whole thing was despite how upset he was throughout most of the episode. I started to wonder, though, what was happening during that night - other than Martin encountering the kinkajou, we didn't get to see much happening despite the fact that Chris was missing overnight. And curious as I am, I thought I'd write something about it.

Except...well, I meant for the story to be about one thing, but I guess my brain didn't get the memo because it wrote something _entirely_ different from how I planned it. One of those cases where the story just wanted to write itself, I suppose. It didn't turn out bad, though (at least I _think_ it didn't), so I decided to go ahead and post it up anyway.

On a completely unrelated side note: I have no idea why, but for some reason I really like having Chris afraid of the dark when he was a child. I mentioned it once in another story, and I actually use something here that I was going to wait until I could put it in 'Preservation'. But I guess the idea really wanted to get itself out there sooner, haha...ahem...anyway, please enjoy.

**Promising Support**

At first he managed to keep himself busy as he sat in the gourd and waited; he made a mental list of the different creatures living in that particular forest, cataloging each species based on the degree of involvement it had in the pollination process.

He wasn't aware of how much time past until the small ray of light filling the gourd started to disappear. Glancing up towards the gourd's only opening, he found that what little of the sky he could see through the small hole was beginning to darken. Night was starting to fall, and still no pollinators had arrived.

And then Chris _really _became concerned.

"Oh man…" he murmured to himself, rising to his feet. "It's getting pretty late. But that's so weird…_Something_ should have shown up by now to pollinate these flowers…right?"

Unless he was wrong. Maybe there _wouldn't_ be any creatures to come gather pollen from these flowers. There was a chance that these flowers had a different way to pollinate. But if _that _was true, then how could he get out? How long would he be stuck in there? What if…what if he _never_ got out…?

He shook his head, chasing the thoughts away. "No, I can't think like that," he said. "It'll be fine…everything's gonna be all right." But his voice rang hollowly, lacking any real conviction that would help him believe his own words.

Chris began to pace a bit, thoughts flying through his mind a mile a minute. "Okay, try to think positively. Let's see…" He glanced around his confines, squinting through the rapidly-growing darkness. "Well, even though I'm stuck in here alone, there aren't any predators. And since it's closed off, I don't have to worry about getting eaten."

Reaching out, he clumsily felt around for the flower pods that he knew were nearby, but was having trouble seeing at the moment. "And it's pretty well insulated in here. So I don't have to worry about the cold night air, because the gourd is keeping me warm."

He continued to try, yet none of the reassurances seemed to be helping. So he finally gave up with a soft sigh, letting the silence echo within the enclosed space. As he ran his fingers through his hair, he wasn't all that surprised to find his hand was shaking; the day's events were finally catching up to him. Getting stuck to different creatures, seeing the world through their eyes and sharing moments in their lives had been an incredible experience…But he was also almost eaten twice, had gotten lost and separated from his friends, and now was trapped in a well-concealed place, waiting for an opportunity to free himself that might never come.

On top of that, he realized that he lost the footage of Bee-ast drinking nectar from the flower he had taken earlier that day, because he dropped his Creature Pod when he fell into the gourd. To lose the whole _reason_ he shrunk down in the first place gnawed away at him; frustration mixed with his exhaustion and hunger, forming a dismal weight that hung heavily over his tired body.

At that moment, all he wanted was to go _home_…but he doubted that he'd get there any time soon.

With a groan, Chis sat down again, wrapping his arms around his knees. The darkness continued to grow thicker around him – whatever light was coming from the moon didn't filter through the hole at the top of the gourd, dousing his surroundings in complete blackness. Though his eyes were starting to adjust a bit, he didn't really think it even mattered whether he could see or not. After all, trapped as he was in such a limited space, he already knew what was around him and what wasn't. There simply wasn't anything new to look at.

Resting his chin on his knees, Chris stared blankly ahead of him as his vision continued to correct itself. Inside the gourd was pretty quiet…which in normal circumstances would have drove him crazy, listening to nothing but silence. But though muffled by the gourd's exterior, he could hear the sounds of the evening break through the thick stillness, as the nighttime animals were starting to stir to life.

Despite his situation, despite his somber mood, he felt a wan smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He wasn't entirely sure why – perhaps it was because of what time it was, or because he simply had nothing better to do – but he found himself recalling how he had once been afraid of the dark, back when he was a kid. It all seemed so silly now; he remembered how his parents had such a hard time getting him to go to bed, and how he had slept with a nightlight in his room for what felt like a really long time.

He wasn't afraid of the dark _now_, of course. And…if he recalled correctly, Martin was actually the one who helped him overcome his childhood fear. Though his older brother used to tease him about being afraid of the dark, or used to scare him by jumping out after the lights were turned off, in the end Martin was the one who showed him how the dark was nothing to be afraid of.

If he remembered right, it was after his brother showed him a book he borrowed from the library. The book talked about different nocturnal animals, and Martin tried to use the different creatures to show him how cool the dark can be…

oOoOo

_Chris watched as Martin continued to flip through the book, his eyes darting from each animal picture in its pages. "…No monsters?" he finally asked after a while._

_ "Nope," his brother answered with a grin. "No monsters. Just some really cool animals that do their natural thing…just when it's dark outside."_

_ "How come?"_

_ Martin shrugged. "Dunno. Some animals are just awake at night."_

_ "Don't they get sleepy?"_

_ "Nah. See, while _we're_ awake during the day, _they're_ all asleep. Then, when we go to bed, the nighttime animals all start to wake up."_

_ Chris' face scrunched up in confusion. "Why can't they sleep at night and be awake at daytime like _we _do?"_

_ Martin laughed. "Maybe there's just so many animals and people already up and around during the day, so these animals wait until nighttime because it's less crowded."_

_ "Oh…okay." Nodding as though the explanation made perfect sense, Chris then turned the page of the book, revealing an image of a hyena. Though the setting around the hyena was dark, light was reflected in the animal's eyes, making the creature's eyes glow in an almost-fierce manner. He gasped softly, grabbing his brother's arm and hiding behind it._

_ Martin laughed again, pulling his arm from his grasp. "C'mon, Chris. It's just a hyena."_

_ Chris scooted closer to the older boy. "It's scarier-lookin' in the dark," he murmured, glancing warily at the picture from behind the other as if the hyena would leap from the page and attack them._

_ Martin rolled his eyes. "It's still a hyena, whether it's day or night. It doesn't change."_

_ Chris fidgeted slightly, looking down at his hands. "But when it's dark, you can't see it so good…so you don't see it comin' when it's attacking."_

_ Things fell silent for a long moment, and Chris squirmed a little. He kept his eyes downcast, because he didn't want to look in case his brother started making fun of him again. He started playing with his untied shoelaces, reluctant to look up even when he felt Martin's hand on his head._

_ "Is _that_ why you're afraid of the dark?" Martin asked, and Chris noticed the smile on his face. "Because you're worried that something's gonna get you, and you won't be able to do anything because you can't see it?"_

_ Hesitantly, Chris nodded._

_ Martin shook his head and retorted, "Dummy. That's such a stupid reason."_

_ Chris pouted, blinking as tears started prickling his eyes. But before he could start crying, his brother continued, "You shouldn't be afraid of anything getting you in the dark, because _I'll _make sure that never happens."_

_ Chris blinked, looking at the other in surprise. "…Really?"_

_ The older boy scoffed. "Of course! You think I'd let anything hurt _my _little brother? No way! If anything ever tries to get you, then they'll have to deal with _me_."_

_ Perking up a little, Chris turned towards him. "But…how're _you_ gonna see 'em coming in the dark?"_

_ Martin grinned confidently. "Don't worry about that. I just will. All _you_ gotta know is that I'll protect you."_

_ Chris smiled brightly and nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Martin!"_

_ "No problem," Martin replied, ruffling the other's hair. "I've always got your back, Bro."_

oOoOo

Chris' smile deepened as the memory played through his mind. He never _did_ have to worry about anything – day _or_ night – knowing that his older brother was looking out for him.

He vaguely wondered if Martin was still out searching for him. Knowing his brother, it was entirely possible. If anything, Martin was at least trying to _think_ of a new way to find him. The blond was probably more than a little worried by now as well, and he felt bad about troubling the other so much. Still, he knew that Martin wouldn't give up looking for him.

And knowing that Martin wouldn't give up trying, Chris knew that he couldn't give up trying either.

With renewed hope, Chris sat back to relax against the flower pods surrounding his body, deciding to at least make himself comfortable while waiting for any pollinators to show. And he might not even have to wait _that _long – after all, he knew there were several awesome nocturnal creatures, and any of the them was just as capable of pollinating these flowers as the daytime creatures.

But so reassured by the knowledge that his brother was still out there, so soothed by the idea that there was still a chance to get home, it didn't take him very long before he drifted off into a light sleep.

* * *

><p>"How much farther, Chris?" Martin wondered.<p>

Chris watched the trees as the two sped by, keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings. "Not too far," he replied. "We're almost there."

"Huh…" Martin murmured, his soft tone nearly drowned out by the buzzing of his wings. "You actually weren't that far from the _Tortuga_."

Chris laughed. "Yeah, but it still would've taken me forever to get back if I tried to walk there. Oh, hang on…!"

Martin came to a quick stop, and Chris held on tightly to Martin's antennae to keep from flying off. "Okay," the brunet said, glancing around quickly. Then he pointed to a tree at Martin's left. "I think it's that one."

"Well, might as well give it a try." Martin hovered closer to the tree his brother indicated. "Any idea where you dropped it?"

Chris shook his head. "Not really. Although I didn't really have a chance to check before I fell _inside_ the gourd."

Martin laughed. "Well, we'll find it."

Chris simply nodded, already too busy scanning the area to answer. After the Kratt brothers delivered the loose pollen grains to the other pollinators, Chris had Martin take him back to the tree where he had gotten stuck in order to find his Creature Pod. The _Tortuga _crew would meet them there after they finished putting equipment away, but Chris hoped to have his Creature Pod back by the time they arrived.

Normally the Brothers wouldn't really bother to find a lost Creature Pod – the two lost or broke them more often than they lost the keys to the Createrra, so Aviva simply built new ones for them – but Chris wanted to find his this time because of the footage he had recorded on it. Despite the slim chance of finding it, the rare footage was worth looking for it. And he just hated the thought of letting something like that go to waste.

Plus, he suspected that after _this_ little adventure, none of them was willing to risk getting material like _that_ anytime soon.

Still, as he looked over blades of grass that stood taller than his current height, he knew it wouldn't be easy trying to find his miniature Creature Pod. "Oh man…" Chris mumbled as Martin landed on a fallen twig. "How're we gonna find it?"

"It's gonna be like trying to find a flea on a dog," Martin agreed, wondering how they were ever going to find something _that_ small.

"Guess it doesn't help that it's green, either…" It was the first time Chris wished green wasn't his favorite color. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he then looked down at his older brother. "Maybe we'll hear it if you try calling it."

"As long as you didn't break it again," Martin teased as he rang up the device. He felt Chris' knee dig deeper into his back in playful protest.

Things were silent around them at first, but soon they heard the trill of an incoming call from the tool they knew so well. It sounded close, somewhere along the ground, so Martin moved off the twig and descended lower.

As they drew closer to the nearby tree, the height of the grass began to shrink under the shade. Once the grass was short enough for him to move more easily, Chris hopped off his brother's back and started walking. Martin hovered over him, getting a slightly higher view as they approached the still ringing Creature Pod.

Soon, they reached an area around the tree's roots where the gadget sounded the loudest, and Martin cut the call as the two began to look around. Suddenly, Martin asked, "So this is the tree you got stuck in?"

"Yup," Chris replied, somewhat distractedly as he continued searching for the lost device. "I probably would've been stuck there for a really long time if Figgy and the other wasps hadn't hatched."

A silent moment passed, broken only by the drone of Martin's wings. Then the buzzing unexpectedly stopped.

Slightly surprised, Chris turned from where he was searching to look at Martin, who had landed a little behind him. "What's up, Bro?" he questioned.

"Listen, Chris…" Martin began slowly. For some reason, he wouldn't meet Chris' eyes. "I…I'm…I'm sorry."

Chris frowned, puzzled. "Sorry?" he echoed. "For what?"

"I…" Martin sighed, shaking his head. "I should've…I should've done _more_, y'know?"

Placing his hands on his hips, Chris gave his brother a curious stare. "Like what? Neither of us could've known that I'd get stuck to a bee, or a hummingbird, or get trapped in a gourd. There was really nothing that either of us could've done about what happened."

The older Kratt didn't look convinced. "Still…I mean, the whole _point_ of only one of us shrinking down was so the other could stand guard…to make sure nothing went wrong. But I couldn't even…I didn't…" He sighed again, aggravation creeping into his tone. "Anyway, sorry I let you down."

"You _didn't_ let me down," Chris assured him. "You _tried_ looking for me –"

"Not hard enough, apparently," Martin interrupted bitterly. "You were so close by, and I _still_ couldn't find you!"

Chris sighed softly. He didn't like when his brother became upset about something like this. "You did your best. Besides, you might not have found me right away, but you did eventually."

"Only because Figgy happened to fly by. We didn't even have fig gourds on the Pollinator Attractor, so if she hadn't flown past up, we might _still_ not have found you."

Shaking his head, Chris glanced up into the tree briefly before looking back at Martin. "Like I said, if Figgy and the others hadn't hatched, I might've been stuck in that gourd for a _long_ time. But I wouldn't have been stuck in there forever."

Martin finally looked up, glancing curiously at his younger brother. "How do you figure?"

Chris grinned. "Because I knew you were looking for me. You would have found me eventually."

Martin scoffed. "I doubt that."

"I know you would've," Chris insisted. "Look, I admit…Last night, I _was_ a little scared that I wouldn't ever get back home. But it wasn't because I was worried that _you_ wouldn't find me. To tell you the truth, it was because I knew you were still looking that I kept trying."

Martin frowned, a little surprised by the revelation. "Really?"

Chris nodded. "Yeah. And I realized that I _never_ had to worry, because I knew you would be there for me. So don't stress over what happened, because in the end, you still really helped me out. "

Seeing Chris' reassuring smile cheered Martin up, and he returned with a smile of his own. "If you say so…" he replied with a small shrug.

But Chris knew his brother still felt guilty about the whole thing. Before he had a chance to say anything else, though, Martin added, "But I know another way I'd help you out."

Watching the other as he lifted into the air and flew past him, Chris couldn't help asking, "What's that?"

Reaching down, Martin then held a familiar object in his hand. "Check it out! I found your Creature Pod!"

"All right!" Running over, Chris took his Creature Pod from the other and inspected it carefully. "Perfect! Looks like nothing was damaged, so the footage should be intact."

"And we found it just in time, too," Martin said, pointing as the _Tortuga_ landed nearby. "Now, let's get you back to normal size before we lose you again, _little_ brother."

Chris laughed and didn't protest as his brother lifted him off the ground, carrying him back to the turtle ship. "No arguments here, Bro," was his easy reply. He recognized the other's attempt to drop the subject, and he would let the conversation end for now. It gave him some time to figure out how to help _really_ reassure and cheer Martin up.

It was the least he could do for his older brother.

**The End**


End file.
